Making our Way to Door County, Wisconsin: Algoma and It’s Murals

When we began planning our trip to Wisconsin, anyone we talked to (who knew anything about Wisconsin) would mention Door County.  I’ll admit, I’d never heard of the place.  Maybe it’s my East Coast/West Coast bias of just not paying attention to the stuff in the middle.

Door County is located on the northern tip of the Door Peninsula on the northeast side of the state.  To the west is Green Bay (the bay, not the city), and to the east is Lake Michigan.

From our hub in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, it would take about an hour to get to what most consider just the gateway of Door County: Sturgeon Bay.  With just a day to explore, and a toddler in tow plus a planned date night starting in the early evening, we had to be mindful of our time.

Instead of rushing up to “true door county” we took our time driving up to the peninsula, and decided to stop in the little towns along the way.

Algoma was where we decided to hop out of the car for our morning coffee.  On recommendation from our guide book, we wandered into Caffe Tlazo, an Italian inspired eatery featuring delicious coffees and teas.  We thought we’d order our typical stand-bys, but were intrigued by the cafe’s selection of what I call “fancy drinks”.  Combinations of flavors and concoctions that I’d never heard of before had us studying the menu longer than usual.  I finally decided on some sort of peanut butter latte while Slaed went with a beachy sounding mocha drink.

Once hitting the road to explore, we immediately noticed a beautiful mural welcoming us to the town, and showing some of what makes the location special.

Then we continued on and I realized there was not just one mural, but at least 10 works of art showcased throughout their downtown area on the sides of buildings.  For a town of just over 3,000 residents, that’s a lot!  Some are painted directly on the wall while others are painted and designed elsewhere, and then attached.  These murals show important pieces of Algoma’s history, and are now part of the small town’s “claim-to-fame”.

We didn’t get to see every single mural, but we came close, and for the little time we had to see the town (the time it takes to finish one’s coffee), we sure learned a lot about how this place came to be.  And speaking of those coffee drinks—what a fun way to change up the routine and treat yourself!-

Have you traveled to or explored a town famous for it’s murals? Tell us about the place in the comments! 

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